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How to Track Down an Old Flame. Are you curious about the one that got away? Find out what
happened to that long-lost love, and maybe even rekindle your old-school romance. You
will need Pen and paper Firefox Chutzpah and a private detective. Stalking is a serious
offense that is punishable by jail time. Step 1. If you've still got connections to your
flame's friends or family, drop a respectful letter or make a polite phone call. You never
know -- they may just be willing to help you out. Step 2. Go to Google to start your online
research. Did you know you can guarantee a word will be included in your search results
if you put a plus sign in front of it? Review Google's advanced search tips to optimize
how you target your information. Step 3. You're probably already looking for your old flame
on social- and business-networking sites like MySpace, Friendster, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,
and ZoomInfo. Search multiple sites at the same time by using an uber-search engine like
wink.com. Messaging someone through a social-networking site is much less stressful than making cold
calls. Step 4. Do you know the name of your long lost love's high school or college? Use
a school-themed social-networking site like classmates.com or reunion.com. Step 5. Most
search engines won't automatically look through databases and private sites, also known as
the "invisible" or "deep" web. To access these deeper results, try searching with the keyword
"database," or using a site like "pipl.com":http://pipl.com, which automatically combs the invisible web.
Step 6. If special someone is proving to be untraceable, try "zabasearch.com":http://zabasearch.com,
an unbelievably thorough people finder that accesses listings for current and former addresses
and phone numbers. Step 7. Firefox offers a free add-on called "Who Is This Person?"
Download the extension and highlight any name on a webpage. The program allows you to search
that name on sites like Technorati, Yahoo, and Wikipedia. Step 8. If you keep hitting
dead ends, consider hiring a private detective. Get recommendations, and make sure the PI
is licensed, bonded, insured, experienced, and discreet. Also, be prepared to fork over
a *** of cash. Step 9. You've finally got the contact info! Now what? Writing an email
or note gives you the time to plan out what you'd like to say, and has much less potential
for disaster than an out-of-the-blue phone call. Did you know A survey by classmates.com
showed that 39% of its users have gone online to try to find an old flame.